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It was Saint Augustine who said that “The World is a Book and those who don’t travel read only a page”.

Before I got into radio I travelled on the Professional Tennis circuit and I would say that I consider myself a well seasoned traveller. People have often asked me what makes a great traveller. Well it’s a pretty simple equation really, firstly you need to be extremely patient, and prepared for anything When I first started travelling I was given some advice by a seasoned professional who said “When preparing to Travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money”. It was a joke but pretty close to the truth.

The last thing you want to do is be lugging a suitcase, a carry on bag and a suit bag. Not only is it bad for your back but it also looks really uncool. My suggestion is to travel with one reasonably sized hard suitcase and one carry on bag. Now I can hear the cries of horror echoing down the travelator from my swank friends who are insisting on carrying a suit bag. Well forget it, they are completely useless unless you are going for an overnight trip. They end up getting squashed and the suits turn out just as bad as if you crunched them into your carry on luggage. They just aren’t worth it.

Here’s a suggestion for suits. Wear your main suit and in your luggage carry one other suit or better still a sports coat that can spruce up an outfit. You would be better off getting a suit pressed at the hotel than lugging around a special housing for your suit, trust me on this one. Now when it comes to general clothing and packing I always maintain that you are better off carrying more underwear and socks than anything else. Carry two weeks worth of both items. If you are on the road and not stoping very often it is easier to air out some shirts and trousers and save the big washing trip till you stop for a longer period.

On business trips men should always carry five white shirts and at least three ties. Combine that with one conservative suit and a sports coat, three casual shirts and one pair of extra trousers and you are ready to go jet setting across the globe.

For your carry on luggage make sure anything that is valuable goes with you. Be prepared that the luggage that goes in the aircraft could be lost or stolen and you will pack better and be ell prepared. Speaking of preparation, always keep one spare business shirt, a pair of underpants and socks in your carry on baggage. You’ll thank me when you have a 9am meeting and no luggage after a fifteen hour Trans Atlantic flight which brings me to my final tip. In your carry on luggage make sure you bring your electric razor, deodorant, a brush, aftershave and chewing gum. You’ll need these items to freshen up and look like the swank cat that you are when you bounce off the plane and get picked up by your friend or colleague.

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Ultra Swank

Ultra Swank is a magazine styled blog that takes you back in time into the kitsch, chic, swank and camp living of the 1940s to the 1970s. We mostly focus on the design, style, and fashion of the happy-go-lucky and space-age-living mentality of that era – but also on the music and movies that takes you back to happier times. Ultra Swank is written by a dedicated team of time travelers from around the globe.